The present invention relates to a medicament cartridge for use in an inhalation device for use in the administration of medicament to a patient. The cartridge has a plurality of medicament retainers in a concentric circle arrangement.
The use of inhalation devices in the administration of medicaments, for example in bronchodilation therapy, is well known. Such devices generally comprise a body or housing within which a medicament container is located. A mouthpiece (or nozzle) is typically provided, wherein xe2x80x98in usexe2x80x99 the mouthpiece communicates with the medicament container to allow passage of medicament from the source to the mouthpiece and thence, to the patient.
In a typical dispensing operation the body of the device is held by the patient and the mouthpiece (or nozzle) of the inhalation device is placed in the mouth (or nose) of the patient. The patient inhales, thereby causing transfer of medicament from the medicament container to the interior of the body of the patient.
It is desirable that the inhalation device is able to provide a plurality of doses of medicament. Known devices include metered dose inhalers having an aerosol container comprising sufficient medicament to provide plural individual doses. Also known are dry powder inhalers having a reservoir of dry powder from which individual doses may be delivered.
Other known devices have a medicament carrier having plural individual medicament retainers thereon. One such carrier is shaped in the form of a rigid disc having plural medicament-containing blisters arranged in a circular configuration thereon. Typically, such discs are designed to provide from five to ten doses. Another such carrier has an elongate tape carrier having plural medicament-containing blisters arranged in a line along the length of the tape. The tape is generally retained on a spindle and the tape is progressively unwound from the spindle to allow access to individual blisters. Typically, such tape carriers are designed to provide about forty to sixty doses.
There is continuing interest in the design of medicament cartridges capable of providing very large numbers of individual doses. However, there is also a desire to reduce the size of the device, and hence the cartridge, so that it is readily portable by the patient. It will be appreciated that with the above described known carriers increasing the number of doses will also result in an inevitable and undesirable increase in the required size of disc and tape-winding on the spindle.
The Applicants have now found that the use of a medicament cartridge comprising a carrier having a plurality of individually accessible medicament retainers arranged in a series of concentric circles allows for the provision of large numbers of doses from a single cartridge, whilst enabling the size of the cartridge to be kept at an acceptable level.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a medicament cartridge for use in an inhalation device comprising a carrier having a plurality of medicament retainers in a concentric circular path arrangement.
By concentric circular path arrangement it is meant herein an arrangement comprised of plural circular arrangements of medicament retainers, the circular arrangements being arranged in concentric fashion.
The carrier may be formed from any suitable material including plastic materials. Preferably, the carrier is substantially planar. More preferably, the carrier is substantially rigid. Preferably, the carrier is circular in shape and is rotationally mountable.
In one aspect, the carrier comprises plural concentric rings, each ring comprising a plurality of medicament retainers in a circular path arrangement. Preferably, each ring is lockably engageable with any adjacent ring thereto.
In another aspect the medicament retainers define a spiral ray arrangement.
By spiral ray arrangement it is meant herein an arrangement comprised of plural spiral arrangements of medicament retainers, the spiral arrangements being arranged in concentric fashion.
The medicament retainers are sized and shaped for retention of medicament. Each retainer may for example, be a medicament-retaining pocket. Suitable pocket forms include a cavity (recess) provided in the retainer, a cup having side walls standing proud from the carrier and any composite of these cavity/cup forms. A cover, preferably a hermetically sealing cover, may be provided to the pocket.
The retainer may also for example, be a hole in the retainer. Optionally the hole has freestanding walls provided therearound. The hole may also optionally be provided with a mesh arrangement therein. The mesh may be formed of any suitable materials including plastic materials. Covers, preferably hermetically sealing covers, may be provided to seal the hole.
In one preferred aspect, each medicament retainer comprises a pocket in the carrier. Preferably, a seal is provided to each pocket. In a particularly preferred aspect, the seal comprises a sealing tape arranged along each circular path and each pocket is accessible by progressive removal of the tape from said circular path. In another preferred aspect the seal comprises a rubber seal provided individually to each pocket.
In another preferred aspect, each medicament retainer comprises a hole in the carrier. Each hole may be provided with a mesh for retention of medicament. The medicament may be applied to the mesh by any suitable method including wet and dry printing methods. Suitable wet printing methods include ink jet printing. Suitable dry printing methods include xerographic and electrostatic printing methods.
Preferably, each medicament retainer is sized to retain a single dose of medicament.
Preferably, the medicament cartridge has from 30 to 500, more preferably from 60 to 400, most preferably from 100 to 300, medicament retainers.
When charged for use, medicament is typically present in one or more of the medicament retainers.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a medicament cartridge for use in an inhalation device comprising a carrier having a plurality of medicament doses thereon, wherein said doses are in a concentric circular path arrangement.
The medicament doses may be applied to the carrier by any suitable method including wet and dry printing methods. Suitable wet printing methods include ink jet printing. Suitable dry printing methods include xerographic and electrostatic printing methods.
According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided an inhalation device comprising
a housing having an air inlet, an air outlet and an airway therebetween;
a medicament carrier having a plurality of medicament retainers in a concentric circular path arrangement; and
a mover for moving the medicament carrier relative to the housing so as to bring successive medicament retainers individually into communication with the airway.
In one aspect the medicament retainers define a spiral ray arrangement.
Preferably, the medicament carrier is a substantially rigid circular disc which is rotatable relative to the housing.
In one aspect, the circumference of the circular disc is provided with teeth and said teeth engage a worm drive for drivable rotation of the disc.
In another aspect, each medicament retainer comprises a pocket in a first face of the disc.
Preferably each medicament retainer has a seal.
In a further aspect, each medicament retainer is individually unsealable.
In one aspect, said seal is provided by a gasket and the interior surfaces of said housing. A first gasket is positioned between the base of the air outlet and the surface of the upper face of the disc, a second gasket is positioned between the circumference of the upper face of the disc and the housing, and a third gasket is positioned between the circumference of the lower face of the disc and the housing.
Preferably, the gasket comprises an organic polymeric material selected from the group consisting of rubber, neoprene, polyester, polyethylene, polycarbonate, polyacetal, polytetrafluroethylene and nylon.
In yet another aspect, the air outlet is in communication with a mouthpiece.
According to a yet further aspect of the present invention there is provided an inhalation device comprising
a housing having an air inlet, an air outlet and an airway therebetween;
a medicament carrier having a plurality of medicament retainers in a concentric circular path arrangement, each medicament retainer having a seal;
an actuator for progressively unsealing each medicament retainer.
In another aspect the medicament retainers define a spiral ray arrangement
Preferably, the device additionally comprises a mover for moving the medicament carrier relative to the housing so as to bring successive medicament retainers individually into communication with the airway.
Preferably, each medicament retainer comprises a pocket.
Preferably, said seal comprises a sealing tape arranged along said concentric circular path and wherein each pocket is serially accessible by peelable removal of the tape. More preferably, an end of said sealing tape connects to said actuator and peelable removal of the sealing tape is achievable by movement of the actuator.
In yet another aspect, the actuator is rotatable relative to the housing such that rotation of the actuator results in coiling of the tape around the actuator. Preferably, the actuator is an axially mounted tapered pole.
In another aspect, the actuator comprises a piercer for piercably unsealing a medicament retainer.
Preferably, the air outlet is provided with a mouthpiece. Herein the term xe2x80x98mouthpiecexe2x80x99 is used in a generic sense to mean an element shaped such as to be insertable into the mouth or nose of a patient for inhalation therethrough.
Preferably, the device is provided with a dose counter, which indicates the number of doses dispensed from or remaining in the container. More preferably, the dose counter comprises an indexing mechanism actuated by a predetermined movement of the medicament container relative to the body.
Preferably, the medicament is in dry-powder form.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention there is provided the use of an inhalation device as described herein for the administration of medicament to a patient.